Some thoughts on language and how we use it

I found a few aspects of the Adler article particularly interesting. The first is the idea that explicitly teaching math vocabulary could be a bad thing. I have never taught it as rigidly as it was explained in this article, but it is a good reminder that we shouldn’t get weighed down by any one aspect. Focusing on any one aspect in math means that you are not giving a balanced approach and are neglecting some areas. It is important that we encourage proper use of mathematical language, but there is a difference between explicit teaching of the language and making the lesson about the language. I think we should teach all learners about how to use the language in order to communicate their ideas clearly, but this is only skill among many

I found this quotation from the Moschkovich article really stuck out to me: “Words have multiple meanings, meanings depend on situations, and learning to use mathematical language requires learning when to use different meanings” (page 91). This reminded me of our discussion last class about the definition and meaning of variables. There were a number of ways that the word could be used that would change how I would explain its use in that context and now I’m wondering what other words I use that have this type of multiple meaning – I am listening to myself more carefully now.